If you have a brain contusion, you will be unconscious for at least 15 minutes. You will also lose at least 1 hour of your memory. A brain contusion is caused by a rapid violent movement of the head, for example during an accident or after a hard blow. This damages the brain. There are also bleeding and fluid accumulations that can push the brain away.
Patients with a mild to moderate brain contusion have lost their memory for a minimum of 1 hour to a maximum of 30 days. If you have lost more than 30 days of your memory, we speak of a severe brain contusion. This is less common.
The symptoms you have with a brain contusion depend on the location of the brain damage and the severity of the contusion. The complaints are divided into three types of problems:
- Physical complaints, such as headaches and dizziness.
- Cognitive complaints, problems with memory or with learning.
- Finally, patients can also have problems with their behavior and emotion. For example, they are gloomy or very aggressive.
To research
The doctor makes the diagnosis by listening carefully to what has happened and by examining you physically.
CT scan general
In this examination, images are made of your body using a narrow beam of X-rays.
MRI and MRA examination
With the help of the MRI examination tendons, muscles, brain tissue, cartilage, intervertebral discs, organs or blood vessels can be visualized.
Treatments
You will always be hospitalized. If the brain contusion is severe, you will be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. The rehabilitation doctor treats the complaints that arise after a brain contusion.
Outpatient clinics and departments
Neurology
The medical specialty of Neurology focuses on diseases of the nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves) and muscles.
Intensive Care (IC)
Op de Intensive Care is speciaal opgeleid personeel en speciale medische apparatuur aanwezig om zeer ernstig zieke patiënten te behandelen.
Examination and test
With the Glasgow Coma Scale, your doctor determines how severe the brain contusion is. This is a score list that your doctor uses to measure consciousness. You will also get a CT scan or an MRI scan of the brain. This shows how severe the brain damage is.
